Ok, ok, here's more. Wolf was the son of a renowned German playwrite, Fredrich Wolf, so he learned to communicate exceptionally well. His autobiography reflects that. The translator was also exceptionally good; nothing jarred me out of the tale by an obvious mistranslation. Wolf wrote quite frankly about how he was raised a committed Communist, how Communism failed him and his country, how his country failed Communism, and how his country failed, period.
He's rather humorous about how the HVA was established and its early, amateur days. (Note to several reviewers--Wolf was head of the East German foreign intelligence service, not the internal arm.) He wrote about unintended consequences, which are quite enlightening, considering how the West blamed the HVA for a number of incidents in which it had no direct involvement. The sections on HVA attempts to influence emerging African nations and on terrorism are very interesting, indeed.
He wrote the book after he was tried by the West German government and the German Supreme Court threw out the conviction, so he was more open than one would have suspected, given all the mystery and myth surrounding him (he was quite amused about that). He did not give away any HVA sources, except several who were already blown before he began writing.
When the wall fell, several of us CI types chatted about what a good idea it would be to have Markus Wolf present briefings on how the HVA cleaned NATO's clock, without asking him to give away sources. What we didn't know was that CIA had approached Wolf about debriefing him, maybe giving him sanctuary in the US (Wolf was about to be indicted by West Germany), and paying him a lot of money. How and why Wolf refused is exactly how and why I thought he would have responded to such an approach.
The book reads almost like a novel, albiet a tad dry in places. I highly recommend it to any CI professional.
I was always impressed with Wolf's professionalism. His autobiography only deepened my respect for an honorable enemy. This book will always be a permanent part of my library.
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Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2007
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- Amazon CustomerReviewed in India on February 9, 2020
Awesome, go 4 it if ur cold war aficionado
Finally completed this bookAmazon CustomerAwesome, go 4 it if ur cold war aficionado
Reviewed in India on February 9, 2020
Markus Wolf- one of the Greatest Cold war warrior, the cold war fought ruthlessly by Intelligence services of USA & USSR ideologies across the planet (& beyond) where no quarter was asked or given.
What a life he led. He took his beliefs to grave. No apology. No justification. No nothing. He went down as proud General of Intelligence agency.
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- Bartosz SchellerReviewed in Canada on February 4, 2016
Markus Wolf's autobiography is a fantastic read, giving insight into the world of the ...
